System and method for associating devices based on biometric information

ABSTRACT

Various operations may be performed based on a distance-related function associated with two or more devices. For example, an association procedure for two or more devices may be based on one or more determined distances. Similarly, presence management may be based on one or more determined distances. A distance-related function may take various form including, for example, a distance between devices, two or more distances between devices, a rate of change in a relative distance between devices, relative acceleration between devices, or some combination of two or more of the these distance-related functions.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY UNDER 35 U.S.C. §119

This application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No.11/692,100, filed on Mar. 27, 2007, which, in turn, claims the benefitof and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/792,035,filed Apr. 14, 2006, both disclosures of which are incorporated byreference herein.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to patent application filed concurrentlyherewith, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD OF ASSOCIATING DEVICES BASED ONACTUATION OF INPUT DEVICES AND SIGNAL STRENGTH,” with docket number051012C1, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.This application is also related to patent application Ser. No.11/692,097, entitled “DISTANCE-BASED PRESENCE MANAGEMENT,” thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

This application relates generally to wireless communication, and morespecifically, to distance-based functionality in a wirelesscommunication system.

2. Background

In a wireless communication system various provisions may be made toenable two or more wireless devices to communicate with one another and,in some applications, to enable one wireless device to accessfunctionality provided by another wireless device. For example, when awireless device enters a coverage area of another wireless device, thewireless devices may perform an association operation to enable the twodevices to communicate with one another. In addition, other relatedoperations such as presence management may be performed to enable awireless device to affect the operation of another wireless device.

Examples of association include setting up a wireless laptop and anwireless access point to communicate or setting up communication betweena wireless cell phone or entertainment device (e.g., an MP3 player) anda peripheral device such as a wireless headset (e.g., headphones, an earpiece, etc.) or watch. Briefly, association may involve exchangingmessages that enable the wireless devices to determine whether they arecapable of communicating with one another and whether they areauthorized to do so. For example, the wireless devices may exchangemessages that indicate their respective capabilities. In conjunctionwith this procedure, the wireless devices may negotiate or cooperate insome other manner to agree on a set of parameters to be used forcommunicating. Moreover, in some applications the wireless devices mayutilize an authentication procedure of some type to verify the identityof each other. This identity information may be used by the wirelessdevices to, for example, determine whether they are authorized tocommunicate with one another.

Various operations may be performed to enable or otherwise facilitateassociation. For example, some applications may employ signalstrength-based association where it is assumed that the wireless devicesare close enough to associate if a received signal strength exceeds athreshold. Other applications may employ RFID-related technology wherebywireless devices are allowed to associate with another if they are closeenough so that one device induces RF energy in another device.

In some applications a wireless device may employ presence management toprovide certain functionality based on the proximity of the wirelessdevice to another device. For example, in some applications presencemanagement may be employed to modify a user interface of a computerbased on which user is sitting in front of the computer. Presencemanagement also may be used to modify the characteristics of a room(e.g., lighting, temperature, music, etc) based on who is in the room.

In practice, an operation such as association or presence management mayinvolve some user interaction with the wireless device to initiate orcomplete the operation. For example, during association a user maymanually set each wireless device into an association or discovery mode,navigate through some software interfaces to a list of discoveredwireless devices, select a wireless device, and potentially input someinformation about the wireless device. In a typical example, informationto be entered by a user may include authentication codes or multipleaccess code information. Similarly, during presence management a usermay press a configuration button (e.g., associated with a car seat, ahome theater system, etc.), type in a username and password, insert acard, or invoke wireless detection of the presence of a device.

In practice, operations such as association and presence management maynot provide a desired level of functionality or may be inconvenient fora user. For example, presence management may be relatively course innature in that it simply involves determine whether a connection withanother wireless device may be detected. In addition, the stepsperformed by a user to accomplish association, presence management, orother operations (e.g., as mentioned above) may be relativelycomplicated and confusing for the user. Consequently, a need exists foralternative methods for performing such operations.

SUMMARY

A summary of sample aspects of the disclosure follows. For convenience,one or more aspects of the disclosure may be referred to herein simplyas “some aspects.”

This application relates in some aspects to performing an act based onat least one distance between devices. For example, one of varioustechniques may be employed to determine a distance-related function suchas distance or relative motion between two devices. A determination maythen be made as to whether the determined distance function meetsspecified criteria. If so, a corresponding action may then be taken.

In some aspects association between two or more devices may be based onone or more determined distances. For example, an association proceduremay be initiated or facilitated in some manner by determining whetherthe devices are within a given range of one another and/or are movedwith respect to one another in a certain manner.

Distance-based association may be employed in a variety of use cases.For example, in a personal or body area network a large number ofdifferent piconets may be owned and managed by different entities (e.g.,people or networked devices). Moreover, these piconets may havedifferent associated power level requirements and data rates thatoverlap. Through the use of distance-based association, a new deviceentering the network may be efficiently associated with a desiredpiconet or other device in the network. For example, devices may beassociated with one another if they are within one foot of each other.Similarly, if several devices are close to one another, the closestdevices (e.g., the two closest devices) of these devices may beassociated with one another. In addition, distance-based association maybe employed to provide secure communication, such as in a point-of-saleapplication where the relative proximity of two devices is used toensure that the two devices are authorized to conduct a transaction.

In some aspects presence management may be based on one or moredetermined distances. Here, various presence management operations maybe invoked if it is determined that two or more devices are within agiven range of one another and/or are moved with respect to one anotherin a certain manner. As an example, distance-based presence managementmay enable a user in possession of a presence management-enabled deviceto be presented with different presence management responses as the usermoves closer to or further away from another presence management-enableddevice. Similarly, distance-based presence management may enable a userthat is walking through a room to be presented with a different presencemanagement response as opposed to when the same user stops in the roomor when the user remain seated in the room.

A distance-related function as taught herein may take various forms. Forexample, such a function may relate to a distance between devices, twoor more distances between devices if the devices are moved with respectto one another, a rate of change in the relative distance betweendevices, relative acceleration between devices, some otherdistance-related function, or some combination of two or more of thethese distance-related functions.

A distance-related function as taught herein may be implemented invarious ways. For example, a distance may be measured by determining theamount of time it takes for signals to travel from one device to anotherdevice and then back (e.g., a round-trip time). Such a round-trip timemay be calculated, for example, using two-way ranging or by sendinginterrogation and response signals between the devices. A distance alsomay be determined using a time-of-arrival measurement or a receivedpower measurement. A rate of change in relative distance may bedetermined through the use of, for example, a time-of-arrivalmeasurement, a received power measurement, acceleration readings,imaging techniques, detection of changes in electrical and magneticfields, or detection of Doppler shifts. Relative acceleration betweendevices may be determined from the rate of change in relative distancedata.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the disclosure willbe more fully understood when considered with respect to the followingdetailed description, appended claims and accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of acommunication system adapted to perform distance-based operations;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of several sample aspects of operations that maybe performed by a device to perform distance-based operations;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of several sample aspects of operations that maybe performed by a device to perform distance-based operations;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of several sample aspects of operations that maybe performed by devices to determine at least one distance;

FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of awireless device adapted to perform distance-based operations;

FIG. 6 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects ofcommunication components; and

FIG. 7 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of adevice adapted to perform distance-based operations.

In accordance with common practice the various features illustrated inthe drawings may not be drawn to scale. Accordingly, the dimensions ofthe various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity.In addition, some of the drawings may be simplified for clarity. Thus,the drawings may not depict all of the components of a given apparatus(e.g., device) or method. Finally, like reference numerals may be usedto denote like features throughout the specification and figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of the disclosure are described below. It should beapparent that the teachings herein may be embodied in a wide variety offorms and that any specific structure, function, or both being disclosedherein is merely representative. Based on the teachings herein oneskilled in the art should appreciate that an aspect disclosed herein maybe implemented independently of any other aspects and that two or moreof these aspects may be combined in various ways. For example, anapparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using anynumber of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, such an apparatusmay be implemented or such a method may be practiced using otherstructure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition toor other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein. As anexample, in some aspects a distance-related function as taught hereinmay relate to a one distance, while in other aspects a distance-relatedfunction may relate to a distance and a rate of change of distance.

FIG. 1 illustrates certain aspects of a communication system 100 where afirst device 102 may communicate with a second device 104 via a wirelesscommunication link 106. As an example, the device 102 may enter awireless coverage area of the device 104 and various provisions may thenbe taken as discussed below to enable the devices 102 and 104 tocommunicate. In particular, the devices 102 and 104 includefunctionality whereby operations such as association and presencemanagement are initiated, terminated, or performed in accordance withone or more distance relationships between the devices 102 and 104.

The devices 102 and 104 in the example of FIG. 1 are depicted in asimplified manner to emphasize certain components that may providefunctionality relating to distance determination and associatedprocessing. Specifically, the device 102 is depicted to emphasizecomponents that may be employed in a device that ultimately determinesone or more distances between the devices 102 and 104 and performs oneor more operations based on that determination. Conversely, the device104 is depicted to emphasize components that may be employed in a devicethat may perform operations in conjunction with the distance determiningdevice. As will be discussed in more detail below, the device 104 mayinclude functionality that facilitates the distance determination by thedevice 102 and may also perform one or more operations based on thatdetermination. It should be appreciated that a given device mayincorporate the functionality depicted for device 102, the functionalitydepicted for device 104, or some combination thereof.

The device 102 includes a distance function determiner component(hereafter, distance determiner 108) that is adapted to perform variousfunctions relating to determining one or more distance-relatedparameters. For example, the distance determiner 108 may determine anabsolute distance between the devices 102 and 104, two or more distancesbetween the devices 102 and 104 (e.g., in the event the devices 102 and104 are moved with respect to one another), a rate of change in therelative distance between the devices 102 and 104, relative accelerationbetween the devices 102 and 104, or some other distance-relatedfunction. As will be discussed in more detail below, the distancedeterminer 108 may thus include appropriate components or may cooperatewith one or more other components (e.g., a radio 110) to repeatedlydetermine the distance between the devices 102 and 104.

The device 102 also includes an indication generator 112 that is adaptedto generate an indication relating to the determined distanceparameter(s). For example, the indication generator 112 may generate anindication of the determined absolute distance(s), rate of change inrelative distance, relative acceleration, etc. In addition, theindication generator 112 may include a comparator 114 that compares adetermined distance with a distance comparison parameter 116 (e.g., athreshold) that may be maintained in the device 102 (e.g., in a datamemory). The indication generator 112 may then generate a comparisonresult indication in accordance with the comparison. As an example, thecomparison result indication may indicate that a determined distance isless than a threshold.

The device 102 includes a processor component 118 that is adapted toperform various functions based on at least one determined distance. Forexample, the processor component 118 may invoke one or more operationsdepending on the value of the indication. In addition, or in thealternative, the operations performed by the processing component mayutilize the indication in some manner.

In the example of FIG. 1 the processor component 118 providesfunctionality relating to association (e.g., including authentication)and presence management. For example, an association procedure, anauthentication procedure, or both, may be invoked or may be dependent ona given distance-related relationship between the devices 102 and 104.Similarly, a presence management procedure may be invoked or may bedependent upon a given distance-related relationship between the devices102 and 104. To provide such functionality, the processor component 118may include an association processor component 120, an authenticationprocessor component 122, and a presence management processor component124.

The device 104 may include several components that operate inconjunction with corresponding components of device 102. For example,the device 104 may include a radio 126 adapted to communicate via one ormore wireless communication links (e.g., the link 106) with one or morewireless devices (e.g., the radio 110 of the device 102). The device 104also may include a processor component 128 that provides functionalitythat is complementary to the functionality of the processor component118. Accordingly, the processor component 128 may include an associationprocessor 130, an authentication processor 132, and a presencemanagement processor 134. The device 104 also may include a distancefunction component 136 for performing one or more distance-relatedfunctions in conjunction with the distance determiner 108. Also, thedevice 104 may include an indication generator 138 that may generate,for example, distance-related indications used by the device 104 or thedevice 102.

The devices 102 and 104 may take various forms. For example, in someaspects the devices 102 and 104 may comprises various combinations of aheadset, a microphone, a medical device, a biometric sensor, a heartrate monitor, a pedometer, an EKG device, a user I/O device, a watch, aremote control, a switch, a tire pressure monitor, an entertainmentdevice, a computer, a point-of-sale device, a hearing aid, a set-topbox, a cell phone, or some other device with some form of wirelesssignaling capabilities. In some aspects the device 104 may comprises anaccess device (e.g., a Wi-Fi access point) for a communication system.For example, the device 104 may provide connectivity to another network(e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet) via a wired or wirelesscommunication link. Accordingly, the device 104 may enable the device102 (e.g., a Wi-Fi station) to access the other network. In addition, itshould be appreciated that one or both of the devices 102 and 104 may beportable or, in some cases, relatively non-portable.

The devices 102 and 104 may include various components that performfunctions bases on signals transmitted or received via the wirelesscommunication link. For example, a headset may include a transduceradapted to provide an audible output based on a signal received via thewireless communication link. A watch may include a display adapted toprovide a visual output based on a signal received via the wirelesscommunication link. A medical device may include a sensor adapted togenerate sensed signals to be transmitted via the wireless communicationlink.

The devices 102 and 104 may support or otherwise use various wirelesscommunication links and wireless network topologies. For example, insome aspects the devices 102 and 104 may comprise or form part of a bodyarea network or a personal area network (e.g., an ultra-widebandnetwork). In addition, in some aspects the devices 102 and 104 maycomprise or form part of a local area network or a wide area network.The devices 102 and 104 also may support or otherwise use one or more ofa variety of wireless communication protocols or standards including,for example, CDMA, TDMA, OFDM, OFDMA, WiMAX, Wi-Fi, and other wirelesstechnologies. Accordingly, the devices 102 and 104 may includeappropriate components to establish one or more communication linksusing various wireless technologies.

Sample operations of the system 100 will now be discussed in more detailin conjunction with the flowcharts of FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. FIG. 2 relatesto operations that may be performed, for example, by the device 102.FIG. 3 relates to operations that may be performed, for example, by thedevice 104. FIG. 4 relates to operations that may be performed todetermine one or more distances between the devices 102 and 104. Forconvenience, the operations of FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 (or any otheroperations discussed herein) may be described as being performed byspecific components (e.g., devices 102 and 104). It should beappreciated, however, that these operations may be performed inconjunction with and/or by other components and, in some cases, using adifferent number of components. It also should be appreciated that oneor more of the operations described herein may not be employed in agiven implementation.

Referring initially to FIG. 2, as represented by block 202 a firstdevice such as device 102 commences distance-based operations (e.g.,enables a ranging mode) in conjunction with establishing communicationwith a second device such as device 104. Here, the device 102 maydetermine whether it has entered a wireless coverage area associatedwith the device 104. These operations may be initiated automatically ormay be initiated based an action by a user who wishes to associate thedevice 102 with the device 104. In the former case, a discovery mode maybe continually enabled such that the device 102 may repeatedly scan todetermine whether it has entered a coverage area of a wireless network(e.g., a body area network or personal area network) or a coverage areaof some other wireless device. In the latter case, the user may utilize(e.g., actuate) an input device of the device 102 to initiate adiscovery mode that causes the device 102 (e.g., the radio 110) tocommence scanning for nearby wireless networks or wireless devices. Inconjunction with the operations of block 202, the user may bring thedevice 102 within a certain range of the device 104.

Referring to FIG. 3, the device 104 also may perform operations that aresimilar and/or complementary to the operations of block 202. Forconvenience, the sample operations of FIG. 3 are depicted from theperspective of a first device. In other words, in the context of FIG. 3the first device may comprise the device 104 and the second device maycomprise the device 102 (in contrast with the correspondingrelationships described above in conjunction with FIG. 2).

As represented by block 302, the device 104 also may commencedistance-based operations by, for example, attempting to discover nearbywireless devices. As discussed above, this may be initiatedautomatically or in response to some action by the user (e.g., utilizingan input device of the device 104). In addition, or in the alternative,the device 104 may commence a discovery procedure in response to asignal received from the device 102. It should be appreciated that othertechniques may be employed to commence discovery or some other similarprocedure for initiating communication between devices such as devices102 and 104.

Referring again to FIG. 2, as represented by block 204 the device 102(e.g., the distance determiner 108) determines at least one distancebetween the devices 102 and 104. To this end, the device 102 may receiveand process one or more signals from the device 104. In addition, thedevice 102 may generate various signals and transmit the signals to thedevice 104. As represented by blocks 206 and 208, the device 102 (e.g.,the indication generator 112) may generate one or more indicationscorresponding to the one or more determined distances. The operations ofblocks 204-208 may be invoked in conjunction with invoking theoperations of block 202. Thus, these operations may be invokedautomatically or in response to some action on the part of a user of thedevice 102.

As represented by block 304 of FIG. 3, the device 104 may performoperations that are similar and/or complementary to the operations ofblocks 204-208. For example, the device 104 (e.g., the indicationgenerator 138) may generate an indication relating to the at least onedistance between the device 104 and the device 102. To this end, thedevice 104 (e.g., the distance function component 136) may perform oneor more operations relating to determining the distance between thedevices 104 and 102. For example, the distance function component 136may process one or more signals received from the device 102 relating toa distance determination operation. The component 136 may then generateone or more responsive signals and transmit the signals back to thedevice 102.

One or more of various techniques may be employed to determine adistance between the devices 102 and 104. For example, in someimplementations distance may be measured using time-of-arrivalmeasurements, round-trip time measurements, signal strengthmeasurements, Doppler shift measurements, or some other suitabletechnique. Several examples of techniques for measuring distance will bediscussed in conjunction with FIG. 4, commencing at block 402.

As represented by block 404, in some implementations a device such asthe device 102 that initiates the distance measurement operations sendsone or more signals to a responsive device such as device 104. Forexample, the initiating device may send a message to a responding deviceinstructing the other device to send one or more signals back to theinitiating device. Thus, in the example of FIG. 1 the distancedeterminer 108 of the device 102 may cooperate with a transmitter of theradio 110 to transmit appropriate signals to the device 104.

As represented by block 406, the responding device may process thereceived signals and generate responsive signals (e.g., forming amessage). In FIG. 1 the distance function component 136 may cooperatewith a receiver of the radio 126 to receive the signals from the device102.

As represented by block 408, the responsive signals are then transmittedfrom the responding device to the initiating device. In FIG. 1 thedistance function component 136 and the indication generator 138 maythus cooperate with the radio 126 (e.g., the transmitter) to transmitthe signals to the device 102.

As represented by block 410, the initiating device processes thereceived responsive signals, as necessary, to determine a distancebetween the initiating and responding devices. In FIG. 1 the distancefunction component 108 may again cooperate with the radio 126 (e.g. thereceiver) to receive the signals from the device 104.

Block 412 represents that the above operations may be repeated if thereis another distance measure to be taken. Here, it should be appreciatedthat multiple distance determinations may be made concurrently, in asequential manner, or in some other manner.

Sample operations of blocks 404 through 410 will now be discussed inmore detail in conjunction with specific examples relating totime-of-arrival measurements, round-trip time measurements and signalstrength measurements. It should be appreciated that these are but a fewof the measurement techniques that may be employed and that theteachings herein may be used in conjunction with other measurementtechniques.

In some implementations utilizing time-of-arrival to determine distancethe initiating device may measure the times-of-arrival of signalsreceived from the responding device. For example, at block 404 theinitiating device (e.g., the distance determiner 108) may request thatthe responding device transmit several signals to be used fortime-of-arrival measurements. At blocks 406 and 408, the respondingdevice may then generate appropriate signals and transmit them to theinitiating device. For example, the distance function component 136 andthe indication generator 138 may cause the radio 126 to transmitappropriate signals to the radio 110. Then, at block 410 the initiatingdevice (e.g., the distance determiner 108) may perform time-of-arrivalmeasurements and, based on these measurements, determine the distancebetween the initiating device and the responding device.

In some implementations the responding device may determine the distancebetween the devices by performing time-of-arrival measurement operationson signals received from the initiating device. In this case, at block404 the initiating device (e.g., the distance determiner 108 inconjunction with a transmitter of the radio 110) may transmit signals tobe used for the time-of-arrival measurements to the responding device.At block 406 the responding device (e.g., the distance functioncomponent 136) may perform time-of-arrival measurements and, in somecases, determine the distance between the responding device and theinitiating device based on these measurements. In this case, theindication generator 138 may generate an indication relating to thederived distance-related information. At block 408 the responding device(e.g., the indication generator 138) may send the results of thetime-of-arrival measurements or the determined distance to theinitiating device. At block 410 the initiating device (e.g., thedistance determiner 108) may process the received information to providea determined distance between the devices 102 and 104 for subsequentoperations.

In some implementations utilizing round-trip time measurements theinitiating device (device 102) may transmit a message to the respondingdevice at a given time (block 404). At block 406 the distance functioncomponent 136 may determine the amount of time between receipt of therequest signal by the device 104 and the transmission of a responsivesignal by the device 104 (i.e., a turnaround time). Alternatively, incooperation with the radio 126, the distance function component 136 mayensure that a response signal is transmitted within a defined aturnaround time. The device 104 may thus generate a responsive message(e.g., including an indication of the turnaround time as generated, insome cases, by the indication generator 138) and transmit the message tothe device 102 (block 408). At block 410 the device 102 may process thereceived responsive signal to calculate the round-trip time and, inturn, a distance between the devices 102 and 104. To this end, thedistance determiner 108 may determine (e.g., in cooperation with theradio 110) the point in time at which the responsive message wasreceived at the device 102. The distance determiner 108 may thendetermine the round-trip time from the time elapsed between thetransmission of the signal at block 404 to the reception of theresponsive signal at block 410, excluding the turnaround time of thedevice 104 supplied with the responsive message.

In some implementations utilizing received signal strength to determinedistance the initiating device may measure the signal strength ofsignals received from the responding device. For example, at block 404the initiating device (device 102) may transmit a message to theresponding device requesting that the responding device transmit asignal at a known signal strength (e.g., a constant energy level). Atblock 406, in response to the received signal the responding device(e.g., the distance function component 136 in cooperation withindication generator 138) may cause the radio 126 to transmit anappropriate signal or signals to the device 102 (block 408). At block410, the distance determiner 108 may then calculate the distance betweenthe devices 102 and 104 based on the strength of the correspondingsignal(s) received by the radio 110.

In some implementations utilizing received signal strength to determinedistance the responding device may measure the signal strength ofsignals received from the initiating device. In the example of FIG. 1the device 104 may receive one or more signals having a known signalstrength from the device 102 at block 404. In this case, at block 406the distance function component 136 may calculate the distance betweenthe devices 104 and 102 based on the strength of the signal(s) receivedby the radio 126. At block 408, the indication generator 138 may send anindication relating to the derived distance information back to thedevice 102. At block 410 the initiating device (e.g., the distancedeterminer 108) may then process the received information to provide adetermined distance between the devices 102 and 104 for subsequentoperations.

Referring again to block 206 of FIG. 2, the device 102 (e.g., theindication generator 112) generates an indication relating to the atleast one determined distance generated at block 204. As discussedabove, the distance determination and indication generation operationsmay involve determining one or more distance-related parametersincluding, for example, a distance between the devices 102 and 104, twoor more distances between the devices 102 and 104, a rate of change inthe relative distance between the devices 102 and 104, and relativeacceleration between the devices 102 and 104. Here, a rate of change indistance (e.g., relative velocity) between the devices 102 and 104 maybe determined, for example, by determining a distance between thedevices at one point in time, determining a distance between the devicesat one or more other points in time, and calculating the change(s) indistance over the associated time period(s). Similar information may beutilized to determine relative acceleration between the devices 102 and104 using known techniques such as taking a derivative of the rate ofchange information. It should be appreciated that an indication relatingto at least one distance may take a form other than those explicitlymentioned herein.

In some aspects the indication may simply specify a single determineddistance between the devices 102 and 104. As will be discussed in moredetail below, this form of indication may be compared with one or morethreshold distances to determine whether the devices 102 and 104 areseparated by a distance that is deemed acceptable for performing somefunction.

An indication also may specify several determined distances between thedevices 102 and 104. For example, the distance between the devices 102and 104 may be checked at various times. Such an operation may beperformed in conjunction with different types of distance determinationscenarios.

For example, in some aspects a distance between devices may be checkedmore than once to provide a more accurate distance reading. Here,clearly erroneous readings may be discarded. In addition, in some casesan average determined distance may be calculated or a mean determineddistance and a standard deviation may be calculated. Accordingly, inthis scenario the indication may comprise several similar determineddistances, a determined distance along with a standard deviation of thedetermined distances, a range of the determined distances, or some othersimilar information.

In some aspects multiple distance readings may be employed in a scenariowhere performance of an operation is predicated on the devices 102 and104 being moved in a defined pattern with respect to one another. Forexample, the devices 102 and 104 may initially be placed a firstdistance apart, then placed a second distance apart, and so forth.Accordingly, in this scenario the indication may comprise a pattern ofseveral determined distances.

In some aspects multiple distance readings may be employed to determinea rate of change in relative distance between the devices 102 and 104.For example, a first distance between the devices may be determined at afirst point in time and a second distance between the devices determinedat a second point in time. A rate of change in distance may then bedetermined, for example, by calculating the ratio of the change indistance (e.g., first distance minus second distance) to the elapsedtime (e.g. second point in time minus first point in time). Thus, inthis scenario the indication may comprise the determined rate of changein relative distance (e.g., an indication of relative velocity).

In some aspects multiple readings of the rate of change in relativedistance may be employed. For example, performance of an operation maybe predicated on the rate of change in distance (e.g., relativevelocity) between the devices 102 and 104 being changed in a definedpattern. Here, the devices 102 and 104 may be moved with respect oneanother at different velocities over different time periods. In thisscenario the indication may comprise a plurality of different rates ofchange in relative distance.

Similarly, multiple readings of the rate of change in relative distancemay be utilized to obtain a profile of the relative acceleration betweenthe devices 102 and 104. For example, acceleration information may beobtained by taking the derivative of relative velocity informationcollected over a period of time. Thus, in this scenario the indicationmay comprise the determined relative acceleration at a given point intime.

In a similar manner as discussed above, multiple acceleration readingsmay be employed where the performance of an operation is predicated onthe relative acceleration between the devices 102 and 104 being changedin a defined pattern. Thus, in this scenario the indication may comprisean acceleration profile defining a plurality of relative accelerations.

In some aspects a device may determine several types of distance-relatedparameters. For example, the device 102 may determine an absolutedistance between the devices 102 and 104 and may determine a rate ofchange in relative distance between the devices 102 and 104. Here, itshould be appreciated that in some aspects different distancemeasurement techniques may be employed to measure these different typesof distance-related parameters. For example, a given measurementtechnique may determine a certain type of distance measurement moreeffectively than other measurement techniques.

As represented by block 208, the indication generated at block 206 iscompared with one or more distance comparison parameters 116 (FIG. 1).The nature of the comparison operation depends on the particular form ofthe indication.

For example, if an indication relating to a single distance wasgenerated at block 206, this form of indication may be compared with oneor more distance thresholds 144 to determine whether the devices 102 and104 are separated by a distance that is within a range of distancesdeemed acceptable for performing some function. For example, initiationof a function may be predicated on the devices being less than or morethan a certain distance apart (e.g., 1 meter, 3 meters, etc.).Alternatively, initiation of a function may be predicated on the devicesbeing separated by a distance that falls within a range defined by twodistance thresholds 144.

In some aspects more than one level of functionality may be definedwhereby different levels of functionality are employed based ondifferent distances between the devices 102 and 104. Here, one type offunctionality may be employed in the event the determined distance fallswithin one range (e.g., the devices 102 and 104 are relatively close toone another) while another type of functionality may be employed in theevent the determined distance falls within another range (e.g., thedevices 102 and 104 are further apart from one another). In this case,the determined distance may be compared to one, two, or more distancethresholds 144.

As noted above, if several indications relating to several distanceswere generated at block 206, these indications may be compared with oneor more distance thresholds 144. In some implementations the distancethresholds 144 may relate to a pattern of distances where the distancebetween devices is to be changed between various distances in a definedpattern 148. In practice, a tolerance may be associated with eachdistance threshold of the pattern 148 to account for relatively minordeviations between the determined distances and the defined pattern 148.

If an indication relating to a rate of change in relative distance wasgenerated at block 206, this indication may be compared with a definedrate of change 146. The defined rate of change 146 may comprise, forexample, an upper threshold for the rate of change, a lower thresholdfor the rate of change, a range of rates of change, or a defined pattern148 of rates of change. As an example of the latter scenario, theranging criteria may specify that the rate of change between devices isto be changed between various rates of change in a defined pattern 148.Again, a tolerance may be associated with each defined rate of change inthe defined a pattern 148 to account for relatively minor deviationsbetween the determined rates of change and the defined pattern 148.

If an indication relating to relative acceleration was generated atblock 206, this indication may be compared with a defined accelerationprofile 150. The defined acceleration profile 150 may comprise, forexample, an upper threshold for acceleration, a lower threshold for theacceleration, a range of accelerations, or a pattern of accelerations.As an example of the latter scenario, the ranging criteria may specifythat the relative acceleration between devices is to be changed betweenaccelerations according to a defined acceleration profile 150 (e.g., ina known pattern). Similar to the above scenarios, a range of tolerancemay be associated with the accelerations of the defined accelerationprofile 150 to account for relatively minor deviations between thedetermined accelerations and the defined acceleration profile 150.

It should be appreciated that the comparisons of block 208 may beimplemented in various ways. For example, the determined distance maysimply be subtracted from a distance comparison parameter. In addition,in some implementation multiple comparisons may be made. Such anapproach may be used, for example, when the distance is repeatedlychecked for a period of time, when several measurements are made toreduce transient conditions, to perform operations relating to a rate ofchange in relative distance or to relative acceleration, or when acombination of two or more types of determined distances are employed.As an example of the latter scenario, as will be discussed in moredetail below an operation may be invoked or modified based on the rateof change in relative distance between devices as well as the absolutedistance between the devices.

In conjunction with the operations of block 208, the indicationgenerator 112 may generate a comparison result indication that isindicative of the results of the comparison or some other similaroperation. For example, such an indication may indicate that a devicedid or did not meet the desired criteria for performing a distance-basedoperation.

As represented by block 209, the device 102 may then take appropriateaction based on the results of the comparison. For example, if thecomparison result indication indicates that distance criteria have (or adistance criterion has) been met, the device 102 may invoke or terminatea given function or alter the operation of a function in some manner. Ifthe comparison of block 208 is not successful, the operations of FIG. 2may terminate, and then be invoked at some other point in time.

As represented by block 210, in some implementations distance-basedcriteria may be used as a prerequisite for commencingassociation-related operations. For example, if the distance between thedevices 102 and 104 is less than a threshold value and/or if the devices102 and 104 are moved in a proper manner with respect to one another,the device 102 may commence an association procedure with device 104. Inaddition, as represented by blocks 305 and 306 of FIG. 3, the device 104may perform operations that are similar and/or complementary to theoperations of blocks 209 and 210. Thus, if an association operation isallowed (e.g., based on receipt of a message from the device 102indicating a successful comparison at block 208), the device 104 maycommence association operations in cooperation with the device 102. Insome aspects association may be automatically invoked if the devices arewithin a given distance of one another and/or are moved in a certainmanner with respect to one another.

Although block 210 follows blocks 204 through 208 in the example of FIG.2, these operations are not necessarily performed in the illustratedorder. For example, in some implementations the distance determiningoperations may be performed after the commencement of an associationprocedure. Thus, one or more distance-related functions as taught hereinmay be invoked as part of an association procedure. In addition, in someimplementations distance determining operations may serve as both aprerequisite to an association procedure and form a part of anassociation procedure.

In some aspects an association procedure may involve pairing the devices102 and 104 to enable certain types of communication between the devices102 and 104. For example, the association procedure may involveestablishing application-level communication among the devices 102 and104.

A variety of operations may be performed in conjunction with anassociation procedure or in conjunction with some other distance-basedoperation. For example, blocks 212 and 214 in FIG. 2 and blocks 308 and310 in FIG. 3 illustrate several procedures that may optionally beinvoked in conjunction with the association procedures of blocks 210 and306, respectively.

As represented by block 212, in some applications an associationprocedure (e.g., a pairing process) may employ a human synchronizationtest. For example, such a test may be based on a human synchronizationability whereby a given person may easily actuate two switchessubstantially simultaneously, yet it may be very difficult for anonlooker to anticipate the right time to actuate a switch atsubstantially the same time as another person. Accordingly, theoperations of block 212 may involve instructing the user (e.g., via avisual command on a display, via a specific configuration of lightingelements such as LEDs, or via an audio command) to simultaneouslyactivate input devices (e.g., actuate switches) on the devices 102 and104. The association procedure may thus involve determining whether aswitch on the device 102 is actuated (e.g., depressed and/or released)at substantially the same time as a switch on the device 104 isactuated. As represented by block 308 of FIG. 3, the device 104 mayperform operations that are similar and/or complementary to theoperations of block 212. As will be discussed in more detail below, avariety of user input devices (e.g., other than switches) may be usedfor this operation.

The synchronization test may be implemented in a variety of ways. Forexample, in some implementations the device 102 may compare the timesthat the respective switches on the devices 102 and 104 are depressed,the times that the respective switches on the devices 102 and 104 arereleased, or both. In some implementations the synchronization test mayinvolve multiple actuations of the switches. For example, the user maypick several random timings to simultaneously press and release thebuttons on each device. In this case, each device will generate asequence of times associated with the actuations of its switch. Thedevice 102 may then compare the timings of the sequences in an attemptto determine whether the same person actuated the switches on thedevices 102 and 104. In either of the above implementations, if theactuation timings from the devices 102 and 104 are sufficiently similar,the devices 102 and 104 may be associated with one another.

In some implementations comparison of actuation times may involvecomparison of a first indication representative of a time (or times) ofactuation of a user input device of one device (e.g., device 102) with asecond indication representative of a time (or times) of actuation of auser input device of another device (e.g., device 104). For example, theassociation processor 122 may acquire the first indication via a userinput device of device 102 and receive the second indication from thedevice 104. The association processor 122 may then compare the twoindications to determine whether the actuation of the user input deviceof the device 102 occurred substantially simultaneously with theactuation of the user input device of the device 104.

Although block 212 follows block 210 in the example of FIG. 2, theseoperations are not necessarily performed in the illustrated order. Forexample, in some implementations the synchronization test may beperformed before the commencement of an association procedure (e.g., asa prerequisite to commencing the association procedure). In addition, insome implementations a synchronization test may serve as both aprerequisite to an association procedure and form a part of anassociation procedure.

As represented by block 214, in some implementations the associationprocedure may involve authenticating the devices 102 and 104 withrespect to one another. In general, authentication relates to verifyingan identity of another device. Through the use of an authenticationprocedure, a device may verify that is authorized to communicate withthe other device and verify that a given set of operations may beperformed in conjunction with the other device. As an example of thelatter scenario, a given device may allow a requesting device to accesscertain services provided by the device if the requesting device hasappropriate authorization. Such services may include, for example,connection to a network, access to a pay-per-view service, access toprotected media such as data, audio, video, or some combination thereof.

Authentication may be performed in a variety of ways. In someimplementations an authentication procedure may involve sending securitycredentials (e.g., passwords) and/or user biometric information from onedevice to another. In a typical scenario, each device will authenticatethe other device. For example, the device 102 may authenticate thedevice 104 and the device 104 may authenticate the device 102. Thus, asrepresented by block 310 of FIG. 3, the device 104 may performoperations that are similar and/or complementary to the operations ofblock 214. In this way, each device may send security credentials orother suitable information to the other device and receive correspondinginformation from the other device.

In view of the above, it should be appreciated that association-relatedoperations may be invoked, terminated, or affected by any suitabledistance-related characteristics of two or more devices. For example,association operations may depend on an absolute distance betweendevices, a defined pattern of distances between devices, a rate ofchange in relative distance between devices, a relative accelerationbetween devices, or some combination thereof. Thus, association maydepend (e.g., is invoked, terminated, affected, etc.) on whether ameasured parameter (e.g., distance, rate of change, or acceleration)between devices is less than, greater than, or substantially similar to(e.g., equal to) a threshold value (e.g., a corresponding definedparameter), or is below, above, or within a range of such thresholdvalues.

Consequently, a diverse range of association functionality may beprovided in accordance with teachings herein. For example, anassociation procedure may be initiated once an incoming device is closeenough to an existing device. Such an approach may prove advantageous inthe event the surrounding area includes a large number of devicesassociated with various networks.

In some aspects a user may press a button to activate association andmay then use the motion of physically bringing a first device close toand then away from the second device to associate the two devices. Thisapproach allows for an intuitive association method that may alsoprovide a mechanism for readily differentiating the associating devicesfrom other wireless devices in the same area.

In addition, if a user is using a device to wirelessly send a passwordto a computer, then the computer could “select” the correct device inthe immediate vicinity based on which device is currently stationary, inaddition to other factors such as distance. Similarly if the user walksup to a computer the computer may turn on or configure itself in anappropriate manner. Further, if multiple users are near the computer,the computer may configure itself based on the closest user, or based onthe closest user with the highest priority. In contrast, if the userwalks past the computer, the computer may more quickly go back to sleep.

The use of distance-based techniques as taught herein may be employed inconjunction with a variety of association-related operations (e.g.,pairing, authentication, etc.). For example, a point-of-sale terminalmay utilize a distance parameter and/or a rate of change in relativedistance parameter to identify a device to be used for a salestransaction. Here, a rate of change in relative distance may be used tomeasure a swiping action at the point-of-sale as a user moves one device(e.g., a point-of-sale enabled cell phone) across a second device (thepoint-of-sale terminal) to initiate a transaction. This technique mayprovide an effective way to differentiate between other devices in thesurrounding area, and may provide a relatively simple user interface forthe transaction.

Association may be one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, ormany-to-many. For example, an audio device (e.g., an MP3 player) mayassociate with several nearby headsets to enable the users of thoseheadsets to listen to the audio provided by the audio device. It shouldbe appreciated that the above examples are merely illustrative of a fewapplications and that distance-based association may be employed in awide variety of applications.

As represented by block 216, presence management may be provided basedon one or more distances between devices. In some aspects this form ofpresence management relates to the performance of certain operationsbased on a location of a device with respect to another device and/ormotion of the device with respect to the other device. In some aspectspresence management also may be based on an identity of a device (e.g.,the other device). For example, certain actions may be taken for certaindevices. Here a device may be identified by a unique address, anassigned identifier, or in some other manner.

Presence management operations may, in some aspects, relate to invokingpresence management, determining whether certain operations are to beperformed in conjunction with presence management, and terminatingpresence management. For example, a computer may present different userinterfaces depending upon which user is sitting in front of thecomputer. To this end, the user may possess a device that enables thecomputer to uniquely identify the user. Similarly, a presencemanagement-enabled device may be adapted to modify the characteristicsof a room (e.g., the lighting, the temperature, music being played,etc.) based on which person or persons are in the room. In anotherexample, the user interface of a portable device (e.g., a cell phone)may be adapted to provide remote control functionality when the portabledevice is close to a stereo, a television, or some other device that maybe controlled. These are but a few examples of presence management. Itshould be understood that presence management encompasses many otherscenarios and operations.

In some implementations, presence management functionality may beemployed independently of the association-related functionalitydiscussed above. For example, distance-based presence management astaught herein may be employed in a device that utilizes an associationprocedure or in a device that does not utilize an association procedure.In the former case, distance-based presence management as taught hereinmay be employed in a device where the association is not distance-based.Also, a device employing distance-based association as taught herein mayor may not provide presence management functionality.

Referring to the example of FIG. 2, operations similar to the operationsof blocks 202, 204, 206, 208, and 212 may be performed in conjunctionwith presence management. For example, a decision as to whether toinvoke or terminate presence management may be based on the result of(e.g., the indication generated from) the comparison operations of block208 and/or the synchronization operations of block 212. Thus, presencemanagement may be automatically invoked if the devices are within agiven distance of one another (e.g., 3 meters) and/or are moved in acertain manner with respect to one another. Similarly, one or more ofthe operations performed during presence management may be based on theresults of the comparison of block 208.

In a similar manner as discussed above for association, although block216 follows blocks 204 through 208 in the example of FIG. 2, theseoperations are not necessarily performed in the illustrated order. Forexample, in some implementations the distance determining operations maybe performed after the commencement of a presence management procedure.Thus, one or more distance-related functions as taught herein may beinvoked as part of a presence management procedure. In addition, in someimplementations distance determining operations may serve as both aprerequisite to a presence management procedure and form a part of apresence management procedure.

Presence management may involve operations performed by the device 102as well as, in some circumstances, operations performed by the device104. Accordingly, as represented by block 312 of FIG. 3, the device 104may perform operations that are similar and/or complementary to theoperations of blocks 216.

In some aspects a device (e.g., the device 102, the device 104, or both)may be configured based on a distance-related indication. Suchconfiguration may include, in some aspects, one or more of configuringan output of a user interface, invoking a function, adapting operations,and providing access to functionality. In some aspects the configurationmay be based on the identity of another device. For example, the device102 may be configured based on the identity of the device 104, or viceversa. In some aspects a device may transmit information to or receiveinformation from another device, wherein the information is based on theindication. As an example, such information may be generated, selected,or modified depending upon the indication.

In a typical implementation presence management may be employed in thedevice 102 to affect the operation of the device 102 if the device 102is brought within a specified range of device 104 and/or is moved in anappropriate manner with respect to device 104. In one sample use casepresence management may configure the device 102 to provide remotecontrol functionality capable of controlling the device 104. Inconjunction with this reconfiguration, the device 102 may present adifferent interface to the user by, for example, modifying a display ofthe display screen and modifying the functionality of one or more inputdevices (e.g., buttons or soft keys) of the device 102. In addition, thedevice 102 may be enabled to send uniquely configured information (e.g.,remote control instructions, etc.) to the device 104.

As a device 102 is brought within a specified range of device 104 and/oris moved in an appropriate manner with respect to the device 104,presence management also may be employed in the device 104 to affect itsoperation. Continuing with the sample use case mentioned above, thedevice 104 may now enable the device 102 (e.g., and no other devices) tocontrol selected functionality of the device 104 or of one or more otherdevices if distance-based conditions, and optionally device identityconditions, are met. For example, the device 104 may present a uniqueinterface to the user of device 102 by modifying the display on thedisplay screen of the device 104 or another device (e.g., a televisionor a television receiver). In some aspects the device 104 may providepresence management for the device 102 based on the indication by, forexample, facilitating configuration of the device 102. To this end, thedevice 104 may send appropriate messages to the device 102 thatfacilitate configuration of the device 102 (e.g., as discussed above).In a typical example, configuration of the device 102 may includemodifying the output of the user interface of the device 102.

In another sample use case, a given device such as device 104 may allowaccess to certain of its functionality depending on the identity ofanother device and depending on at least one distance between thedevices. In the example of FIG. 1, if the identity and distance-basedconditions are met, the device 104 may provide uniquely configuredinformation to the device 102. For example, the presence managementfunctionality enabled on the device 104 may provide access to a servicesuch as network connectivity or pay-for-use media such as data, audio,and video. It should be appreciated that the presence managementfunctionality enabled on the device 104 may take various other forms

Presence management operations may be invoked, terminated, or affectedby any suitable distance-related characteristics of two or more devices.For example, presence management operations may depend on an absolutedistance between devices, a defined pattern of distances betweendevices, a rate of change in relative distance between devices, arelative acceleration between devices, or some combination thereof.Thus, presence management may depend (e.g., is invoked, terminated,affected, etc.) on whether a measured parameter (e.g., distance, rate ofchange, or acceleration) between devices is less than, greater than, orsubstantially similar to (e.g., equal to) a threshold value (e.g., acorresponding defined parameter), or is below, above, or within a rangeof such threshold values.

Consequently, a diverse range of presence management functionality maybe provided in accordance with teachings herein. For example, if a userruns into a room with a presence-management enabled device then sits onthe couch, a presence-management-enabled television may turn on tobreaking news. Conversely, if the same user walks into the room and sitson the couch, the television may turn on and play a recent recording ofthe user's favorite program.

It should be appreciated that the components described herein may take avariety of forms. For example, FIG. 5 illustrates that a wireless device500 (e.g., similar to the device 102 and/or the device 104) may includein broad terms functionality relating to a user input device 502, acommunication device 504, a distance, motion, and acceleration measuringcircuit 506, and a position/motion detector 508.

The user input device 502 may comprise one or more of a variety ofcomponents that enable a user to provide some form of input to thewireless device 500. For example, the user input device 502 may compriseone or more switches such as a pushbutton or a keypad. The user inputdevice 502 also may comprise a touch-screen, a touchpad, or othersimilar input mechanism. The user input device 502 may comprise apointing device such as a mouse, trackball, an electronic pen, apointing stick, etc. The user input device 502 also may be adapted toreceive non-mechanical forms of input such as an audio (e.g., voice)input, an optical-based input, an RF-based input, or some other suitableform of input. As discussed above, the user input device 502 may beutilized by the user to initiate some function in the wireless devicesuch as facilitating authentication or presence management. As anexample of the latter case, the user input device 502 may comprise theinput device discussed above that is activated at substantially the sametime on both of the devices 102 and 104.

The communication device 504 may comprise various components thatfacilitate communicating with another device. For example, as discussedherein the communication device 504 may comprise a radio (e.g., theradio 110 and/or the radio 126) with associated transmitter and receivercomponents 510 and 512, respectively, that include various components(e.g., signal generators and signal processors) that facilitatecommunication over a wireless medium.

The communication device 504 may employ a variety of wireless physicallayer schemes. For example, the physical layer may utilize some form ofCDMA, TDMA, OFDM, OFDMA, or other modulation and multiplexing schemes.

In some aspects the communication device 504 may communicate via apulsed-based physical layer. In some aspects the physical layer mayutilize ultra-wideband pulses that have a relatively short length (e.g.,on the order of a few nanoseconds) and a relatively wide bandwidth. Insome aspects an ultra-wide band system may be defined as a system havinga fractional bandwidth on the order of approximately 20% or more and/orhaving a bandwidth on the order of approximately 500 MHz or more.

The circuit 506 may comprise one or more of a variety of componentsadapted to measure one or more of distance, motion, and acceleration. Asdiscussed above, various techniques may be employed to measure distanceincluding, for example, two-way ranging, interrogations/responsesignals, received power measurements, acceleration readings, digital oranalog imaging, detecting changes in electrical and magnetic fields, anddetecting a Doppler shift in signals. Accordingly, the circuit 506 mayemploy corresponding circuitry (e.g., RF circuitry, optics,accelerometers, signal strength sensors, electrical and magnetic fieldssensors, or Doppler shift sensors) to measure distance using one or morethese techniques. In a specific example, an optical device such as avideo device may employ video processing to compute the rate of changein relative distance based on frame differences and similarities. Inanother example, the rate of change in relative distance may bedetermined by identifying a rate of change in the relative orientationof electrical and magnetic fields. Also, in some applications anaccelerometer may be used to obtain a measurement of distance, velocity,or acceleration.

In some implementations, one or more of the components of the circuit506 may be implemented in the wireless communication device 504. Forexample, an implementation that determines distance by calculating theround-trip time of RF signals may utilize the transmitter and receivercomponents of a radio to transmit and receive ranging signals (e.g.,ultra-wideband pulses) or other signals that are used to calculate around-trip time.

In some implementations a position and/or motion detector 508 may beemployed to determine one or more distance-related parameters associatedwith two or more devices. For example, through the use of anaccelerometer in one or more of the devices, the rate of change inrelative distance between two devices may be more easily obtained ordetermined with greater accuracy. In some implementations one or more ofthe components the position/motion detector 508 may be implemented inthe circuit 506.

The teachings herein may be incorporated into (e.g., implemented withinor performed by) a variety of devices. For example, one or more aspectstaught herein may be incorporated into a phone (e.g., a cellular phone),a personal data assistant (“PDA”), an entertainment device (e.g., amusic or video device), a headset (e.g., headphones, an earpiece, etc.),a microphone, a medical device (e.g., a biometric sensor, a heart ratemonitor, a pedometer, an EKG device, etc.), a user I/O device (e.g., awatch, a remote control, a light switch, a keyboard, a mouse, etc.), atire pressure monitor, a computer, a point-of-sale device, anentertainment device, a hearing aid, a set-top box, or any othersuitable device. Moreover, these devices may have different power anddata requirements. In some aspects, the teachings herein may be adaptedfor use in low power applications (e.g., through the use of apulse-based signaling scheme and low duty cycle modes) and may support avariety of data rates including relatively high data rates (e.g.,through the use of high-bandwidth pulses).

The teachings herein may be incorporated into a device employing variouscomponents for communicating with at least one other device. FIG. 6depicts several sample components that may be employed to facilitatecommunication between devices. Here, a first device (e.g., an accessterminal) 602 and a second device (e.g., an access point) 604 areadapted to communicate via a communication link 606 over a suitablemedium.

Initially, components involved in sending information from the device602 to the device 604 (e.g., a reverse link) will be treated. A transmit(“TX”) data processor 608 receives traffic data (e.g., data packets)from a data buffer 610 or some other suitable component. The transmitdata processor 608 processes (e.g., encodes, interleaves, and symbolmaps) each data packet based on a selected coding and modulation scheme,and provides data symbols. In general, a data symbol is a modulationsymbol for data, and a pilot symbol is a modulation symbol for a pilot(which is known a priori). A modulator 612 receives the data symbols,pilot symbols, and possibly signaling for the reverse link, and performsmodulation (e.g., OFDM or some other suitable modulation) and/or otherprocessing as specified by the system, and provides a stream of outputchips. A transmitter (“TMTR”) 614 processes (e.g., converts to analog,filters, amplifies, and frequency upconverts) the output chip stream andgenerates a modulated signal, which is then transmitted from an antenna616.

The modulated signals transmitted by the device 602 (along with signalsfrom other devices in communication with the device 604) are received byan antenna 618 of the device 604. A receiver (“RCVR”) 620 processes(e.g., conditions and digitizes) the received signal from the antenna618 and provides received samples. A demodulator (“DEMOD”) 622 processes(e.g., demodulates and detects) the received samples and providesdetected data symbols, which may be a noisy estimate of the data symbolstransmitted to the device 604 by the other device(s). A receive (“RX”)data processor 624 processes (e.g., symbol demaps, deinterleaves, anddecodes) the detected data symbols and provides decoded data associatedwith each transmitting device (e.g., device 602).

Components involved in sending information from the device 604 to thedevice 602 (e.g., a forward link) will be now be treated. At the device604, traffic data is processed by a transmit (“TX”) data processor 626to generate data symbols. A modulator 628 receives the data symbols,pilot symbols, and signaling for the forward link, performs modulation(e.g., OFDM or some other suitable modulation) and/or other pertinentprocessing, and provides an output chip stream, which is furtherconditioned by a transmitter (“TMTR”) 630 and transmitted from theantenna 618. In some implementations signaling for the forward link mayinclude power control commands and other information (e.g., relating toa communication channel) generated by a controller 632 for all devices(e.g. terminals) transmitting on the reverse link to the device 604.

At the device 602, the modulated signal transmitted by the device 604 isreceived by the antenna 616, conditioned and digitized by a receiver(“RCVR”) 634, and processed by a demodulator (“DEMOD”) 636 to obtaindetected data symbols. A receive (“RX”) data processor 638 processes thedetected data symbols and provides decoded data for the device 602 andthe forward link signaling. A controller 640 receives power controlcommands and other information to control data transmission and tocontrol transmit power on the reverse link to the device 604.

The controllers 640 and 632 direct various operations of the device 602and the device 604, respectively. For example, a controller maydetermine an appropriate filter, reporting information about the filter,and decode information using a filter. Data memories 642 and 644 maystore program codes and data used by the controllers 640 and 632,respectively.

FIG. 6 also illustrates that the communication components may includeone or more components that perform ranging-related operations as taughtherein. For example, a ranging control component 646 may cooperate withthe controller 640 and/or other components of the device 602 to send andreceive ranging-related signals and information to another device (e.g.,device 604). Similarly, a ranging control component 648 may cooperatewith the controller 632 and/or other components of the device 604 tosend and receive ranging-related signals and information to anotherdevice (e.g., device 602).

The components described herein may be implemented in a variety of ways.Referring to FIG. 7, an apparatus 700 is represented as a series ofinterrelated functional blocks that may represent functions implementedby, for example a processor, software, some combination thereof, or insome other manner as taught herein.

As shown in FIG. 7, the apparatus 700 may include one or more modules702, 704, 706, 708, 710, 712, 714, 716, 718, 720, 722, and 724 that mayperform one or more of the functions described above with regard tovarious figures. For example, a processor for inputting 702 mayfacilitate user input and may correspond to, for example, component 502discussed above. A processor for generating an indication 704 maygenerate one or more indications as taught herein and may correspond to,for example, component 112 and/or component 138 discussed above. Aprocessor for associating 706 may provide various functionality relatingto association as taught herein and may correspond to, for example,component 120 and/or component 130 discussed above. A processor forauthenticating 708 may provide various functionality relating toauthentication as taught herein and may correspond to, for example,component 122 and/or component 132 discussed above. A processor forproviding presence management 710 may provide various functionalityrelating to presence management as taught herein and may correspond to,for example, component 124 and/or component 134 discussed above. Aprocessor for comparing 712 may provide various functionality relatingto comparing distance-based information as taught herein and maycorrespond to, for example, component 114 discussed above. A processorfor using a time-of-arrival measurement 714 may provide variousfunctionality relating to time-of-arrival measurements as taught hereinand may correspond to, for example, component 108 and/or component 136discussed above. A processor for measuring 716 may provide variousfunctionality relating to measuring distance as taught herein and maycorrespond to, for example, component 108 and/or component 136 discussedabove. A processor for communicating 718 may provide variousfunctionality relating to communicating with another device as taughtherein and may correspond to, for example, component 504 discussedabove. A processor for transmitting 720 may provide variousfunctionality relating to transmitting information to another device astaught herein and may correspond to, for example, component 510discussed above. A processor for receiving 722 may provide variousfunctionality relating to receiving information from another device astaught herein and may correspond to, for example, component 512discussed above. A processor for using ultra-wideband pulses may providevarious functionality relating to determining distance usingultra-wideband pulses as taught herein and may correspond to, forexample, component 108 and/or component 110 discussed above.

As noted above, FIG. 7 illustrates that in some aspects these componentsmay be implemented via appropriate processor components. These processorcomponents may in some aspects be implemented, at least in part, usingstructure as taught herein. In some aspects a processor may be adaptedto implement a portion or all of the functionality of one or more ofthese components. In some aspects one or more of the componentsrepresented by dashed boxes are optional.

In some aspects the apparatus 700 may comprise an integrated circuit.Thus, the integrated circuit may comprise one or more processors thatprovide the functionality of the processor components illustrated inFIG. 7. For example, in some aspects a single processor may implementthe functionality of the illustrated processor components, while inother aspects more than one processor may implement the functionality ofthe illustrated processor components. In addition, in some aspects theintegrated circuit may comprise other types of components that implementsome or all of the functionality of the illustrated processorcomponents.

In addition, the components and functions represented by FIG. 7, as wellas other components and functions described herein, may be implementedusing any suitable means. Such means also may be implemented, at leastin part, using corresponding structure as taught herein. For example, insome aspects means for inputting may comprise a user input device, meansfor generating an indication may comprise an indication generator, meansfor associating may comprise an association processor, means forauthenticating may comprise an authentication processor, means forproviding presence management may comprise a presence managementprocessor, means for comparing may comprise a comparator, means forusing a time-of-arrival measurement may comprise a distance determiner,means for measuring may comprise a distance determiner, means forcommunicating may comprise a radio, means for transmitting may comprisea transmitter, means for receiving may comprise a receiver, and meansfor using ultra-wideband pulses may comprise a radio. One or more ofsuch means also may be implemented in accordance with one or more of theprocessor components of FIG. 7.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signalsmay be represented using any of a variety of different technologies andtechniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information,signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout theabove description may be represented by voltages, currents,electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields orparticles, or any combination thereof.

Those of skill would further appreciate that any of the variousillustrative logical blocks, modules, processors, means, circuits, andalgorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosedherein may be implemented as electronic hardware (e.g., a digitalimplementation, an analog implementation, or a combination of the two,which may be designed using source coding or some other technique),various forms of program or design code incorporating instructions(which may be referred to herein, for convenience, as “software” or a“software module”), or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate thisinterchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrativecomponents, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been describedabove generally in terms of their functionality. Whether suchfunctionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon theparticular application and design constraints imposed on the overallsystem. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality invarying ways for each particular application, but such implementationdecisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from thescope of the present disclosure.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implementedwithin or performed by an integrated circuit (“IC”), an access terminal,or an access point. The IC may comprise a general purpose processor, adigital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or otherprogrammable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discretehardware components, electrical components, optical components,mechanical components, or any combination thereof designed to performthe functions described herein, and may execute codes or instructionsthat reside within the IC, outside of the IC, or both. A general purposeprocessor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processormay be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or statemachine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination ofcomputing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, aplurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunctionwith a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

It is understood that any specific order or hierarchy of steps in anydisclosed process is an example of a sample approach. Based upon designpreferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy ofsteps in the processes may be rearranged while remaining within thescope of the present disclosure. The accompanying method claims presentelements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not meant to belimited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with theaspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in asoftware module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two.A software module (e.g., including executable instructions and relateddata) and other data may reside in a data memory such as RAM memory,flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a harddisk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of computer-readablestorage medium known in the art. A sample storage medium may be coupledto a machine such as, for example, a computer/processor (which may bereferred to herein, for convenience, as a “processor”) such theprocessor can read information (e.g., code) from and write informationto the storage medium. A sample storage medium may be integral to theprocessor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC.The ASIC may reside in user equipment. In the alternative, the processorand the storage medium may reside as discrete components in userequipment. Moreover, in some aspects any suitable computer-programproduct may comprise a computer-readable medium comprising codes (e.g.,executable by at least one computer) relating to one or more of theaspects of the disclosure. In some aspects a computer program productmay comprise packaging materials.

The previous description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enableany person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure.Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may beapplied to other aspects without departing from the scope of thedisclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limitedto the aspects shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile device, comprising: a receiverconfigured to receive at least one signal from a medical device, whereinthe signal comprises biometric information; an authentication processorconfigured to authenticate the medical device based on the biometricinformation; and an association processor configured to perform anassociation procedure with the medical device in response to theauthentication of the medical device by the authentication processor. 2.The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the biometric informationcomprises information related to a heart rate of a user.
 3. The mobiledevice of claim 1, wherein the biometric information comprisesinformation related to an electrocardiogram associated with a user. 4.The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the authentication processor isconfigured to authenticate the medical device by further receivingcredential information from the medical device by way of the receiver.5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the association processor isconfigured to establish application-level communication between themobile device and the medical device.
 6. The mobile device of claim 5,wherein the application-level communication comprises the biometricinformation.
 7. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein theapplication-level communication comprises information related to a heartrate of a user.
 8. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein theapplication-level communication comprises electrocardiogram (EKG)information associated with a user.
 9. A method of associating a mobiledevice with a medical device, comprising: receiving at least one signalfrom the medical device, wherein the signal comprises biometricinformation; authenticating the medical device based on the biometricinformation; and performing an association procedure with the medicaldevice in response to the authentication of the medical device.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the biometric information comprisesinformation related to a heart rate of a user.
 11. The method of claim9, wherein the biometric information comprises information related to anelectrocardiogram associated with a user.
 12. The method of claim 9,wherein authenticating the medical device comprises receiving credentialinformation from the medical device.
 13. The method of claim 9, whereinauthenticating the medical device comprises to establishingapplication-level communication between the mobile device and themedical device.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein theapplication-level communication comprises the biometric information. 15.The method of claim 13, wherein the application-level communicationcomprises information related to a heart rate of a user.
 16. The methodof claim 13, wherein the application-level communication compriseselectrocardiogram (EKG) information associated with a user.
 17. Amedical device, comprising: a biometric sensor configured to generatebiometric information associated with a user; a transmitter configuredto transmit at least one signal to a mobile device, wherein the at leastone signal comprises the biometric information; and an associationprocessor configured to perform an association procedure to associatethe medical device with the mobile device based on the biometricinformation.
 18. The medical device of claim 17, wherein the biometricinformation comprises information related to a heart rate of the user.19. The medical device of claim 17, wherein the biometric informationcomprises information related to an electrocardiogram associated withthe user.
 20. The medical device of claim 17, further comprising anauthentication processor configured to generate credential informationfor associating the medical device with the mobile device.
 21. Themedical device of claim 17, wherein the association processor isconfigured to establish application-level communication between themobile device and the medical device.
 22. The medical device of claim21, wherein the application-level communication comprises the biometricinformation.
 23. The medical device of claim 21, wherein theapplication-level communication comprises information related to a heartrate of the user.
 24. The medical device of claim 21, wherein theapplication-level communication comprises electrocardiogram (EKG)information associated with the user.
 25. A method of associating amedical device with a mobile device, comprising: generating biometricinformation associated with a user; transmitting at least one signal tothe mobile device, wherein the at least one signal comprises thebiometric information; and performing an association procedure toassociate the medical device with the mobile device based on thebiometric information.
 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the biometricinformation comprises information related to a heart rate of the user.27. The method of claim 25, wherein the biometric information comprisesinformation related to an electrocardiogram associated with the user.28. The method of claim 25, further comprising generating credentialinformation for authenticating the medical device by the mobile device.29. The method of claim 25, wherein performing the association procedurecomprises establishing application-level communication between themobile device and the medical device.
 30. The method of claim 29,wherein the application-level communication comprises the biometricinformation.
 31. The method of claim 29, wherein the application-levelcommunication comprises information related to a heart rate of the user.32. The method of claim 29, wherein the application-level communicationcomprises electrocardiogram (EKG) information associated with the user.